Depression, Anxiety & Prozac?
 

I have been diagnosed with depression with anxiety and a panic disorder and am currently taking Lexapro and have gained weight. The Lexapro doesn't quite seem to be enough anymore, and I was thinking of switching to Prozac and my doc said she would switch me if I wanted to. However, she did say that there may be an increased risk of anxiety on the Prozac.

Has anyone with anxiety taken Prozac? Did your anxiety increase? Thanks for all responses! :)

I personally did well on Prozac with my anxiety and lost weight to boot. Out of the few depression medications I have been on, Prozac did the best for me.

Good Luck !!!!

I take Flouxitine (sp?) which is a generic PRozac and do good on that for both my depreesion and anxiety. And I haven't any weight gain either.

Thanks for the replies!

This sounds promising to me. After a crying session last night, I may just give Prozac a try. Have either of you transitioned from one med to another? I wonder if it's difficult.

There are some types of anti-depressants that you have to be off for a month before starting a new one. The ones were you don't seem to be fine. I'm sure your doctor knows which is which. Good luck!;)

Thanks! :)

flowerbunny.
I have just started on cipralex (lexapro in the us) and did some research online (I was afraid of weight gain, LOL) and it seems you have to do a slow wean off the lexapro..it can cause severe mood swings and intense rage when you are withdrawing from it. ONe guy even said he normally has absolutely no anger issues and when he was coming off lexapro he broke his wrist when he trashed his computer room for no reason..heh I think he might have gone cold turkey..
I'm only 1 week in with the lexapro but I'm hoping for some anxiety attack relief.

Psych drugs can be nasty and many require tapering. My doc mentioned that she thought I could switch right from Lexapro to Prozac without a problem. Maybe because they're both SSRI's? I'm not sure. But a person really has to be careful!

Lexapro is a good drug. Stick with it - I hope you find some relief!

I wouldnt stick with it if it isnt helping. that shows that is isnt working for you. I would suggest changing meds. Dont let them up your dose. I had a dr do that. She would up my dose because it wasnt working. I was like ok if its not working maybe we should try something else....


On a side note walmart has generic prozac for $4!!!!!! Without insurance or anything. They started a $4 generic program so if the generic med is on the list you can get it for $4.

Cool, although there isn't a Walmart close enough for me to get to on a bus without me just making a day of being in the area (it's a 1 to 1 1/2 hour bus ride for me).

I think this $4 idea is very cool. Without insurance, my meds would cost thousands of dollars every month. Even now, I still pay around $400.

I've increased my dose a couple of times with little success, so I think it's time for a change. I'm a nurse with a big mouth so I don't mind telling doctors what I want! LOL :devil:

On another note, Effexor XR has been amazingly helpful for my anxiety. I used to have panic attacks and/or start crying all the time, and now only very rarely.

Originally Posted by mariarose:
On another note, Effexor XR has been amazingly helpful for my anxiety. I used to have panic attacks and/or start crying all the time, and now only very rarely.

I'm happy for you that you've found something that works for you. I'll have to keep it in mind. I'm thinking of Prozac because of the weight loss/neutral association with the drug.

works for me
 

I am currently on Zoloft or the generic of it. I have tried so many different ones. I loved the way that Lexapro made me feel, but I tended to run high blood pressure and my legs would swell. I have never tried prozac. There are times I feel that my zoloft isn't working. I took paxil for years and I am so glad that I am off of that one. The withdrawal was terrible. You just have to keep trying until you find one that makes you feel normal. My doctor told me that I would be able to tell when I reached that point.
Tammy

My *bad* experience with Effexor
 

Hi there,

I'm new to 3FC. I actually signed up just so I could respond to this thread. I started Effexor in Oct. 2003. By Jan. 2005, I was signing up for a $2500 Optifast weightloss program, b/c I coincidently went from 145 lbs to 211 lbs. I kept going to my family doctor (who prescribed me Effexor for depression) to complain about weight gain. He would pull out the drug book and say see...it says nothing of weight gain.

Later that year in the fall, I decided to go off the Effexor due to the lack of sex drive, feeling I no longer needed it and my perceived stigma of being on anti-depressants (i'm over that now). It was extremely difficult. I had major withdrawal symptoms that my doctor did not prepare me for. Also, the problem was that the drug is not available in small enough doses to slowly ween yourself off without major W/D symptoms...at least in my case. I did get off it though. My moods were extreme and I would say that I was suicidal. I felt like I was going crazy.

I am at 170 lbs these days. I don't know with certainty that Effexor caused my weight gain; however, it was seem to be the case. I also saw a psychiatrist who specializes in weightloss/obese patients, and he said that he would not have prescribed Effexor as it is known to cause weight gain....even tho' it does not say that in the drug book.

All this to say, do your homework!! Remember that people react differently, and I think it's safe to say that there are always side effects. It's a matter of which ones you can live with. Also, if you believe there is a correlation and your doctor won't listen to you, be adamant. Try another drug if possible.

Curves

P.S. Optifast was a nice way to lose a relatively decent amount of weight quickly, but I gained it all back shortly going off the program. It may have been b/c I had felt so deprived after 10 weeks of shakes only. (Though, I like them.)

In 2004, I was taking Prozac for anxiety and in that year I gained a ton of weight. Later, after I decided to go off the meds and began losing the weight that I had gained, I read that prozac can cause weight gain. I actually thought that it would do the opposite. Guess I should have done my homework, eh?

My depression/anxiety seems to be situational/seasonal so for now, I am drug free. :D

yes my son was on Prozac but at high doses and it was causing him to have anxiety attacks. He has not had another panic attack since we got it out of his system over a year ago. From what I've read Prozac can raise cortisol levels.
Cathy

prozak
 

My diagnosis is depression/panic disorder - I'm naturally very anxious and always have been, but I developed a lot of fun phobias, so the doc prescribed me Prozac. I'm sorry to say my experience wasn't a positive one.

With SSRIs the weight issue can go either way - gain or lose. It seems that one is naturally predisposed to one or the other. I always lose on SSRIs, but on Prozac I lost weight super fast because I literally couldn't eat. Anxiety makes me stop eating anyway but I experienced this symptom very strongly to the extent I would be sitting looking at food and crying because I couldn't make myself eat even a bite. Add to that I had very bad stomach problems which wasn't really helping with my agoraphobia. The doc was concerned about my weightloss and took me off it. I didn't feel it helping with my anxiety at all and I felt constantly drunk and off-balance.

Well that was a cheerful story, I am sure you will have better luck with it! Loss isn't automatic though! I have a friend who gained around 8 stone on it.